Defending the Elwha’s Legacy Forests with Tashena Francis, Freddie Lane & Elizabeth Dunne

The Elwha River Watershed is a living, breathing web of interconnection—home to salmon, orcas, towering trees, and the stories of the Lower Elwha Klallam people. For generations, these lands and waters have sustained life, and in return, they have been cared for as kin. But today, 850 acres of mature, structurally complex forests in the watershed are at risk of being auctioned for logging, despite decades of restoration efforts.

In this conversation, we will explore the urgent movement to protect the Elwha’s legacy forests, guided by those who stand on the leading edge of this movement for protection and stewardship. Tashena Francis (Lower Elwha Klallam Tribal Citizen) and Freddie Lane (Lummi Nation Elder) have been organizing their communities to defend the watershed, upholding their sacred responsibility to protect the land. They are collaborating with Elizabeth Dunne (Elwha Watershed Resident), co-founder of the grassroots Elwha Legacy Forests Coalition (of which Tashena and Freddie are also a part). Elizabeth, who leads Earth Law Center's Cascadia Bioregion Program, is working to establish legal protections rooted in the Rights of Nature and principles of respect and reciprocity.

Together, we will discuss:
🌿 Forests as relatives, elders, and teachers
🔥 Community organizing as an act of resistance and protection
⚖️ The Rights of Nature and how law can align with Indigenous knowledge
🌳 Working together as Indigenous and non-Indigenous allies for the places we love
🛡️ What we can do, collectively, to ensure these forests remain standing

This is a call to listen, witness, and act. The Elwha’s forests are not lost yet—but they need all of us.